This invention relates to a data communication system and method and a mobile device which are suitable for a mobile communication system using a mobile terminal as a communication terminal, and also relates to a program storage, medium in, which a program used for these system and method is stored.
Conventionally, a moving route display device or a traveling route display device has been practically used in which the positions of various mobile units such as automobiles, ships, aircrafts and the like are traced and, displayed on a map displayed on, for example, a color display screen of a cathode ray tube (CRT) or a liquid crystal display on the basis of position information obtained by a position measuring system such as the GPS (Global Positioning System). The GPS is a system for detecting the present absolute position and traveling direction of an automobile or the like, specifically, a GPS receiving terminal carried on an automobile or the like, by using radio waves from 24 geostationary satellites (GPS satellites) launched by the U.S. Department of Defense. Each GPS satellite is sending time information, orbit information and the like. A GPS receiving terminal receives radio waves from four satellites and calculates the distance from each of the satellites, and thus can specify the position and time of the terminal itself from the longitude, latitude and altitude. As a so-called car navigation system, which is a system for displaying the traveling route of an automobile, there exists a self-contained navigation system using a geomagnetic sensor, a car speed sensor, map matching and the like, or a system using so-called beacon, signpost and the like and also using a car speed sensor, map matching, a direction sensor and the like, as well as the GPS.
Of the above-described conventional moving route display devices, in a car navigation system which is becoming particularly popular recently, it is possible to display not only a traveling route that is already taken by an automobile (mobile unit) but also a route to be taken by, the automobile, for example, a route to a certain destination, and also to guide the user on the route to the destination using voices and images.
The conventional car navigation system does not use any means for learning the, actual state of a position on the route to be taken by the automobile, that is, the position of the automobile after the lapse of a predetermined time, for example, means for obtaining an image and sound on the periphery of the position. Although there exists a service for providing traffic congestion information on the route of the mobile unit linked with the conventional car navigation system, for example, so-called VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System), the traffic congestion information is about a predetermined place and the state of other places than the predetermined place cannot be known. This applies not only to the car navigation system but also to other moving route display devices.
Meanwhile, in various mobile communication systems which enable data transmission/reception by mobile terminals having a communication function, if data indicating the state at a position where a mobile terminal A exists, for example, image data, is sent from the mobile terminal A to another mobile terminal B, the mobile terminal B can learn the state on the position where-the mobile terminal A exists, for example, an image thereof.
To realize this, the user of the mobile terminal A and the user of the mobile terminal B must know each other or must have determined in advance to send/receive data to/from each other. If the user of the mobile terminal B wants to know the actual state at a position on the route to be taken by the mobile terminal B, the mobile terminal A must have reached that position first. Moreover, if the user of the mobile terminal B wants to know the actual states of a plurality of different positions on the route to be taken by the mobile terminal B, a plurality of other mobile terminals must have been arranged at the respective positions. Such arrangements cannot be realized by any means, in consideration of the case where the route to be taken by the mobile terminal B might be changed.
In view of the foregoing status of the art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a data communication system and method and a mobile device which enable easy acquisition of the state of a desired position on a route to be taken by a certain mobile terminal, that is, provision of information acquired by a mobile terminal existing at a certain position to a mobile terminal at another position when necessary, and also to provide a program used for these system and method.
A data communication system according to the present invention comprises: a first mobile unit having first transmission/reception means for transmitting a first request signal containing position information to a base station and receiving data corresponding to the first request signal from the base station; a base station having search means for searching for a second mobile unit in, accordance with the position information contained in the first request signal, and second transmission/reception means for receiving the first request signal, transmitting a second request signal to the second mobile unit thus searched for, and returning data returned from the second mobile unit to the first mobile unit; and a second mobile unit having input means for inputting data, and third transmission/reception means for receiving the second request signal and returning the data inputted by the input means in accordance with the second request signal to the base station.
In this case, the base station has storage means for storing the data returned from the second mobile unit, and the storage means stores a plurality of route information on which the first mobile unit traveled in the past. The search means of the base station extracts route information which overlaps the position information contained in the first request signal, from the plurality of route information stored in the storage means, then predicts a traveling route of the first mobile unit on the basis of the extracted route information, and searches for the second mobile unit by using the predicted traveling route.
Another data communication system according to the present invention comprises: a first mobile unit having first transmission/reception means for transmitting a first request signal containing position information to a base station and, receiving data corresponding to the first request signal; a base station having search means for searching for a second mobile unit in accordance with the position information contained in the first request signal, and second transmission/reception means for receiving the first request signal and transmitting a second request signal containing information related to the first mobile unit to the second, mobile unit thus searched for; and a second mobile unit having input means for inputting data, and third transmission/reception means for receiving the second request signal and returning the data inputted by the input means in accordance with the second request signal to the first mobile unit.
Another data communication system according to the present invention comprises: a first mobile unit having first transmission/reception means for transmitting a first request signal containing position information to a base station and receiving data corresponding to the first request signal from the base station; a base station having search means for searching for a second mobile unit in accordance with the position information contained in the first request signal, second transmission/reception means for receiving the first request signal, transmitting a second request signal to the second mobile unit thus searched for, and returning data returned from the second mobile unit to the first mobile unit, storage means for storing accounting information of users corresponding at least to the first and second mobile, units, and control means for performing control to update the accounting information of the users corresponding to the first and second mobile units stored by the storage means; and a second mobile unit having input means for inputting data, and third transmission/reception means for receiving the second request signal and returning the data inputted by the input means in accordance with the second request signal to the base station.
A mobile device according to the present invention comprises: position information acquisition means for acquiring position information; signal generation means for generating a first request signal containing the position information; input means for inputting data; and communication means for communicating a signal to/from an external device. When requesting data from the external device, the communication means of this mobile device transmits the first request signal containing the position information to the external device and receives data returned from the external device in accordance with the first request signal. When providing data to the external device, the communication means receives a second request signal transmitted from the external device and returns data inputted by the input means in accordance with the second request signal to the external device.
Another mobile device according to the present invention comprises: position information acquisition means for acquiring position information; signal generation means for generating a first request signal containing the position information; input means for inputting data; and communication means for communicating a signal to/from an external device or another mobile device. When requesting data obtained by another mobile device, the communication means of this mobile device transmits the first request signal containing the position information to the external device and receives data returned from another mobile device in accordance with the first request signal. When providing data to another mobile device, the communication means receives a second, request signal containing information related to another mobile device transmitted from the external device and returns data inputted by the input means in accordance with the second request signal to another mobile device.
A server device used in a data communication system according to the present invention comprises: communication means capable of communicating a signal to/from a plurality of mobile units; holding means for holding information related to the plurality of mobile units; search means for searching for a second mobile unit corresponding to position information contained in a first request signal transmitted from a first mobile unit by using the information related to the plurality of mobile units held by the holding means; and generation means for generating a second request signal to be transmitted to the second mobile unit thus searched for; wherein the second request signal is transmitted to the second mobile unit thus searched for and data returned from the second mobile unit is returned to the first mobile unit.
Another server device according to the present invention comprises: communication means capable of communicating a signal to/from a plurality of mobile units; holding means for holding information related to the plurality of mobile units; search means for searching for a second mobile unit corresponding to position information contained in a first request signal transmitted from a first mobile unit by using the information related to the plurality of mobile units held by the holding means; and generation means for generating a second request signal containing information related to the first, mobile unit which is to be transmitted to the second mobile unit thus searched for, wherein the second request signal is transmitted to the second mobile unit thus searched for.
Another server device according to the present invention comprises: communication means capable of communicating a signal to/from a plurality of mobile units; holding means for holding information related to the plurality of mobile units; search means for searching for a second mobile unit corresponding to position information contained in a first request signal transmitted from a first mobile unit by using the information related to the plurality of mobile units held by the holding means; generation means for generating a second request signal to be transmitted to the second mobile unit thus searched for; storage means for storing accounting information of users corresponding at least to the first and second mobile units; and control means for performing control to update the accounting information of the users corresponding to the first and second mobile units stored by the storage means. The control means updates the accounting information of the users corresponding to the first and second mobile units on the basis of data returned from the second mobile unit in accordance with the second request signal and data transmitted to the first mobile unit in accordance with the first request signal.
A data communication system according to the present invention is adapted for carrying out communication among a first mobile unit, a second mobile unit and a base station. The first mobile unit has first communication, means for transmitting a first request signal containing the position information of the first mobile unit to the base station and receiving data, corresponding to the first request signal from the base station. The base station has prediction means for predicting the position of the first mobile unit after a predetermined time from the position information of the first mobile unit contained in the first request signal, search means for searching for the second mobile unit on the periphery of the position of the first mobile unit after the predetermined time predicted by the prediction means, and second communication means for receiving the first request signal, transmitting a second request signal to the second mobile unit thus searched for, and returning image data returned from the second mobile unit to the first mobile unit. The second mobile unit has image pickup means for picking up an image of an external object and outputting image data, and third communication means for receiving the second request signal and returning the image data outputted from the image pickup means to the base station.
A data communication method according to the present invention comprises the steps of: transmitting a first request signal containing position information from a first mobile unit to a base station; searching for a second mobile unit in accordance with the position information contained in the first request signal at the base station; transmitting a second request signal from the base station to the second mobile unit thus searched for; returning data inputted in accordance with the second request signal from the second mobile unit to the base station; and transmitting the data returned from the second mobile unit to the base station in accordance with the second request signal, from the base station to the first mobile unit as data corresponding to the first request signal.
Another data communication method according to the present invention comprises the steps of: transmitting a first request signal containing position information from a first mobile unit to a base station; searching for a second mobile unit in accordance with the position information contained in the first request signal at the base station; transmitting a second request signal from the base station to the second mobile unit thus searched for; returning data inputted in accordance with the second request signal from the second mobile unit to the base station; transmitting the data returned from the second mobile unit to the base station in accordance with the second request signal, from the base station to the first mobile unit as data corresponding to the first request signal; and updating accounting information of users corresponding to the first and second mobile units on the basis of the data returned from the second mobile unit in accordance with the second request signal and the data transmitted to the first mobile unit in accordance with the first request signal.
Another data communication method according to the present invention comprises the steps of: searching for a second mobile unit corresponding to position information contained in a first request signal transmitted from a first mobile unit in accordance with information related to a plurality of mobile units; generating a second request signal to be transmitted to the second mobile unit thus searched for; transmitting the second request signal to the second mobile unit thus searched for; and transmitting data returned from the second mobile unit to the first mobile unit.
Another data communication method according to the present invention comprises the steps of: searching for a second mobile unit corresponding to position information contained in a first request signal transmitted from a first mobile unit in accordance with information related to a plurality of mobile units; generating a second request signal to be transmitted to the second mobile unit thus searched for; and updating accounting information of users corresponding to the first and second mobile units stored in storage means on the basis of data returned from the second mobile unit in accordance with the second request signal and data transmitted to the first mobile unit in accordance with the first request signal.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a program which is readable by information processing means, and a program storage medium for storing this program. The program stored in the storage medium comprises: a step of transmitting a first request signal containing position information from a first mobile unit to a base station; a step of searching for a second mobile unit in accordance with the position information contained in the first request signal at the base station; a step of transmitting a second request signal from the base station to the second mobile unit thus searched for; a step of returning data inputted in accordance with the second request signal from the second mobile unit to the base station; and a step of transmitting the data returned from the second mobile unit to the base station in accordance with the second request signal, from the base station to the first mobile unit as data corresponding to the first request signal.
Another program stored in a program storage medium according to the present invention comprises: a step of transmitting a first request signal containing position information from a first mobile unit to a base station; a step of searching for a second mobile unit in accordance with the position information contained in the first request signal at the base station; a step of transmitting a second request signal from the base station to the second mobile unit thus searched for; and a step of transmitting data inputted in accordance with the second request signal from the second mobile unit to the first mobile unit as data corresponding to the first request signal.
Another program stored in a program storage medium according to the present invention comprises: a step of transmitting a first request signal containing position information from a first mobile unit to a base station; a step of searching for a second mobile unit in accordance with the position information contained in the first request signal at the base station; a step of transmitting a second request signal from the base station to the second mobile unit thus searched for; a step of returning data inputted in accordance with the second request signal from the second mobile unit to the base station; a step of transmitting the data returned from the second mobile unit to the base station in accordance with the second request signal, from the base station to the first a mobile unit as data corresponding to the first request signal; and a step of updating accounting information of users corresponding to the first and second mobile units on the basis of the data returned from the second mobile unit in accordance with the second request signal and the data transmitted to the first mobile unit in accordance with the first request signal.
Another program stored in a program storage medium according to the present invention comprises: when requesting data obtained by another mobile device, a step, of acquiring position information; a step of transmitting a first request signal containing position information to an external device; and a step of receiving the data transmitted from said another mobile device in accordance with the first request signal; and when providing data to another mobile device, a step of receiving a second request signal containing information related to another mobile unit transmitted from the external device; and a step of returning data inputted in accordance with the second request signal to said another mobile device.
Another program stored in a program storage medium according to the present invention comprises: a step of searching for a second mobile unit corresponding to position information contained in a first request signal transmitted from a first mobile unit in accordance with information related to a plurality of mobile units; a step of generating a second request signal containing information related to the first mobile unit to be transmitted to the second mobile unit thus searched for; and a step of transmitting the second request signal to the second mobile unit thus searched for.
Another program stored in a program storage medium according to the present invention comprises: a step of searching for a second mobile unit corresponding to position information contained in a first request signal transmitted from a first mobile unit in accordance with information related to a plurality of mobile units a step of generating a second request signal to be transmitted to the second mobile unit thus searched for; and a step of updating accounting information of users corresponding to the first and second mobile units stored in storage means on the basis of data returned from the second mobile unit in accordance with the second request signal and data transmitted to the first mobile unit in accordance with the first request signal.
The other objects and specific advantages of the present invention will be clarified by the following description of embodiments.